Increases in fuel prices have led consumers to purchase vehicles having improved fuel economy. Such increases have also led consumers to drive their currently-owned vehicles in a manner designed to optimize fuel economy. Auto manufacturers, aware of these ever-increasing fuel prices, continue to design vehicles to optimize for fuel economy. Additionally, auto manufacturers continue to design systems to assist consumers in being able to drive their vehicles to optimize for fuel economy.
A practice of slipstreaming, also known as drafting, has been known to provide a benefit in fuel economy. This practice involves driving a vehicle to closely follow a leading vehicle, also known as an in-path vehicle. When a leading vehicle and a following vehicle are sufficiently close, the aerodynamics of the arrangement of vehicles reduces a coefficient of drag (Cd) on the leading and the following vehicle. This reduction translates into a fuel economy benefit for the leading and the following vehicle.
Presently, drivers can attempt slipstreaming manually. However, such drivers lack information regarding the optimal range of distances they should maintain from a leading vehicle to optimize for fuel economy. Such drivers lack specific information regarding the effect of an incline, the effect of wheel torque, etc., and are left to guess what distance would provide optimal fuel economy. Without guidance based upon real-world factors, drivers may take unnecessary safety risks, trailing a leading vehicle too closely.
Additionally, drivers attempting to manually slipstream a leading vehicle must rely solely upon their reflexes to safely achieve the trailing distance they guessed would be desirable for a fuel economy benefit.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a driver-support system for slipstreaming on a host vehicle to assist the driver by providing optimal distance information and by providing automated speed adjustments and gear shifting for fuel economy purposes. It would also be desirable to offer such a driver-support system in combination with a safety system such as a forward collision warning system.